Shoe lace fastener



Oct. 29, 1963 SHIH CHlA MO ETAL 3,108,343

SHOE LACE FASTENER Filed Oct. 26. 1961 FIG. 1

INVENTORS. SHIH CHIA MO DAVID A. KASSNER THEiR ATTORNEY.

3,103,343 SHOE LACE FASTENER Shih Chia Mo, 224 Mnnsell Road, and David A. Kassner, 75 Swan Lake Drive, both of East Patchogue N .Y. Filed Get. 26, 1961, Ser. No. 147,831 3 Claims. (Qt. 24-121) This invention relates to a shoe lace fastener or clasp and has for its principal object the provision of a novel clamping plate arrangement through which conventional shoe laces are threaded and after they are pulled tight they remain in this taut condition by means of a novel self-closing clamping arrangement.

The shoe lace fastener of the present invention has particular usefulness for children who experience difficulty in making a secure bow knot after the laces have been tightly drawn. The two-part clamping plate of the present invention requires no knot of any character in order to secure the laces since the laces are firmly clamped near their terminals between two plates having a natural clamping action which is readily released when it is desired to loosen the laces preparatory to removing the shoe.

in the drawing:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of an embodiment of the present invention and showing the contour of the upper clamping plate;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the lower or base plate;

FIG. 3 is a section taken on lines 33 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a section taken on line 4-4 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a vertical section taken on line 5-5 of FIG. 1.

The clamping arrangement of the present invention includes a base plate 1% and a clamping plate 11 carried thereby. Both plates may, if desired, be stamped out from sheet metal and the base plate 10, shown in detail in FIG. 2, has a central bifuracted section 12 extending toward its front edge and forming a spring element and having an outwardly curved finger piece 14 at its front end. It further has upturned flanges 16 along its opposed sides and a pair of rectangular openings 18 just inside'the forward ends of flanges 16, a sec-0nd pair of openings 19 located inside of openings 18 and a third pair of openings 20 still closer together. On each side of the central spring section 12 there are L-shaped pivot sections 21.

The clamping plate 11'is slightly wider at its rear end than is the base plate and has two opposed rectangular openings 22 whose outer side edges are spaced apart just far enough to receive the angular flanges 16 of base plate 19. As will be noted in FIG. 3 the contour of the op posed terminal sections is curved rearwardly as shown at 24. inwardly of openings 22. are two smaller rectangular openings 26.

It will be noted from FIG. 3 that the smaller rectangular openings 18 in the base plate iii are generally aligned with the larger rectangular openings 22 in the outer or clamping plate 11 and that the openings 26 in the latter are spaced somewhat inwardly of both sets of openings. The clamping plate 11 further is provided with a central finger piece 23 along its rear edge for the purpose of drawing this plate forwardly on the pivot elements 21 of base plate It).

The clamping plate is formed at its lower end with an inwardly extending right angular flange 3t and the end walls 31 of this flange are bent at right angles thereto and have openings to receive the L-shaped pivot mem ber 21. The upper section of base plate 1t) is normally parallel to and in contact with the upper section of the clamping plate.

The lower end is bent diagonally rearwardly along line 32 so that near its lower end it contacts the inner edge 34 of flange 39. It will therefore be appreciated that when the clamping plate 11 is grasped by linger piece 28 i United States Patent 0 and drawn forwardly the central spring section 12 is pushed rearwardly until flange 39 is parallel with section 12.

In use, the free ends 36 of the shoe laces extend upwardly from the shoes and pass through openings 18 in the base plate and 22 in the clamping plate and thence through openings 26 in the latter and are held between the hands or bars 38 of the clamping plate and 40 of the base plate. From there, lace sec-tion 41 on one side of the fastener passes under the base plate and up through one opening 19 and thence over the top of the base plate and through the opening 19 on the other side as shown at 44. The other lace section 4-1 is threaded in the same fashion but through openings 26.

When the lace sections 41 are pulled outwardly from the positions of FIG. 3 to reduce the upwardly extending loops in said view, the lace section-s tend to move plate 11 in the direction of base plate 10 with a clamping action and when the outer terminals 44 are drawn outwardly on the other side of the fastener there is a further clamping action, thus securing the plates together and the laces in taut condition.

To release the tension the outer plate 11 may be drawn upwardly and this releases the laces and permits removal of the shoes. It will be appreciated that there is no spring tension between plates 19 and 11 when the parts are in normal, closed position of FIG. 5, and that the only compressive action between the plates, and hence, on the laces there'between, comes from the taut condition of the laces. The only purpose of the action of spring 30 is to maintain the plates in full open or full closed position. in other words, i the clamping plate is disposed outwardly at an angle of about 40 or less to plate It it will spring closed and the spring has no further function after this has occurred.

The flanges 16 tend to retain the parts in aligned position when the plates are closed.

While there have been described herein what are at present considered preferred embodiments of the invention, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that many modifications and changes may be made therein without departing from the essence of the invention. It is therefore to be understood that the exemplary embodiments are illustrative and not restrictive of the invention, the scope of which is defined in the appended claims, and that all modifications that come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are intended to be included therein.

What we claim is:

l. A shoe lace fastener comprising a base plate and a cover plate, each of said plates having a front edge, a rear edge and side edges, said base plate and said cover plate being hinged together along their front edges, the cover plate having a pair of spaced vertical openings adjacent its rear and side edges and a second pair closer to its center, the base plate having three pairs of spaced openings, one pair of which is aligned with said first cover plate openings, a shoe lace, each end of which is arranged to pass from beneath said base upwardly through said aligned openings, thence over the top of the cover plate and down through its second openings and out to the side between the plates and thence through a second and a third pair of base plate openings while crossing the adjoining area of the base plate between the openings, and interlocking means at the rear ends of the plates for holding the same in alignment when in closed position.

2. A shoe lace fastener comprising a base plate and a cover plate, each of said plates having a front edge, a rear edge and side edges, said base plate and said cover plate being hinged together along their front edges, the cover plate having a pair of spaced vertical openings adjacent its rear and side edges and a second pair closer to its center, the base plate having a plurality of pairs of spaced openings therein, one pair of which is aligned with said first cover plate openings, a shoe lace, each end of which is arranged to pass from beneath said base 11pwardly through said aligned openings on one side of the fastener, thence over the top of the cover plate and down through its second openings and out to the side between the plates and thence through another pair of base plate openings while crossing the adjoining area of the base plate between the openings.

3. A shoe lace fastener comprising -a base plate and a cover plate, each of said plates having a front edge, a rear edge and side edges, said base plate and said cover plate being hinged together along their front edges, the cover plate having a pair of spaced vertical openings adjacent its rear and side edges and -a second pair closer to its center, the base plate having flanges which are received along the outer edges of the first cover plate openings and a plurality of pairs of spaced openings, one pair of which is aligned with said first cover plate openings, a shoe lace, each end of which is arranged to pass from beneath said base upwardly through said aligned openings, thence over the top of its cover plate and down through its second openings and out to the side between the plates and thence through another pair of base plate openings while crossing the adjoining area of the base plate between the openings.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 303,549 Snyder Aug. 12, 1884 674,494 Brott May 21, 1901 864,172 Knapp Aug. 27, 1907 2,911,697 Henderson Nov. 10, 1959 FOREIGN PATENTS 271,364 Switzerland Jan. 16, 1951 

1. A SHOE LACE FASTENER COMPRISING A BASE PLATE AND A COVER PLATE, EACH OF SAID PLATES HAVING A FRONT EDGE, A REAR EDGE AND SIDE EDGES, SAID BASE PLATE AND SAID COVER PLATE BEING HINGED TOGETHER ALONG THEIR FRONT EDGES, THE COVER PLATE HAVING A PAIR OF SPACED VERTICAL OPENINGS ADJACENT ITS REAR AND SIDE EDGES AND A SECOIND PAIR CLOSE TO ITS CENTER, THE BASE PLATE HAVING THREE PAIRS OF SPACED OPENINGS, ONE PAIR OF WHICH IS ALIGNED WITH SAID FIRST COVER PLATE OPENINGS, A SHOE LACE, EACH END OF WHICH IS ARRANGED TO PASS FROM BENEATH SAID BASE UPWARDLY THROUGH SAID ALIGNED OPENINGS, THENCE OVER THE TOP OF THE COVER PLATE AND DOWN THROUGH ITS SECOND OPENINGS AND OUT TO THE SIDE BETWEEN THE PLATES AND THENCE THROUGH A SECOND AND A THIRD PAIR OF BASE PLATE OPENINGS WHILE CROSSING THE ADJOINING AREA OF THE BASE PLATE BETWEEN THE OPENINGS, AND INTERLKOCKING MEANS AT THE REAR ENDS OF THE PLATES FOR HOLDING THE SAME IN ALIGNMENT WHEN IN CLOSED POSITION. 